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Pence for Trump’s VP?

With the Republican National Convention just around the corner, the attention of the election has turned to vice president picks. After months of speculation, it is now unavoidable for the candidates to choose a running mate. This will change the nature of the election, as there are now two people to watch and listen to.

It is hard to imagine Donald Trump running alongside a vice president. The business mogul has enough personality for two. However, the right choice can greatly aid and positively enhance his campaign. It is a chance for him to keep to his own base, while also appealing to more moderate Republican voters, and most importantly, Independents.

Newt Gingrich said that Donald Trump will make his announcement on Thursday or Friday. As Gingrich gave this information, we can assume he will not be the choice. The recent rumors are that it will be Governor Mike Pence from Indiana. The two politicians are campaigning together today.

Pro-Pence Washington insiders are pushing him for a variety of reasons. First of all, because of his time he spent on Capitol Hill. Trump said that when choosing a VP, he wanted someone who knew the ins and outs of DC. While this makes Gingrich a valuable choice, Pence also has this experience under his belt. He served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which will certainly help Trump when it comes to foreign policy.

Governor Pence is also popular among the Evangelicals. While this is normally not a problem for the Republican candidate, Trump is considered a “New York Republican,” and may be too moderate on some issues to totally win this vote. While their vote would not go directly to Hillary Clinton, a no vote is basically the same effect. Pence, on the other hand, backed down over the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and changed some language that forbids business owners from discriminating against gay couples. Many conservatives view this as a surrender, and he lost momentum with this group. On the other hand, Independents who do not vote for Republicans because of gay marriage may see Trump and Pence as more moderate when it comes to this issue, and may give the team their vote.

Trump may also choose Pence because of his record with the economy, especially with cutting taxes. Americans, in general, can always rally behind this act. Indiana most recently has been a purple state. While it usually votes Republican, the state went blue in 2008.

For those who are against Donald Trump, they think the only reason any reasonable conservative would say yes to a Trump ticket is because he knows he has no political future. Because of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, conservatives have lost faith in the governor, and think he will lose his election.